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Tuesday, April 9, 2013

First Glimpse: Certaldo


I arrived in the tiny walled village of Certaldo, Italy on Sunday. As I walked through the Pisa Airport earlier, I was greeted by the smiling face of my friend and colleague, Marissa Saneholtz, who teaches here. We then drove through the Tuscan countryside for about an hour before arriving at Certaldo. After dropping off my suitcase, she took me on a walking tour and I met students and some Italians who live and work there. Later in the evening we went to a dinner party at Linda Darty's apartment where I got to meet the other instructors over Italian wine and cheese and lots of other wonderful dishes. (Linda is a metalsmith and enamelist and the head of the Italy Intensives program.)

Begun in the 13th century, the village of Certaldo Alto includes two churchs, the home of Boccaccio, a museum, a handful of restaurants and shops, a hotel and a B & B, and the Italy Intensives program. The population is about 200. Here are a few photos I've collected already of things I find inspiring:

curtains at the Il Castella, the hotel

rooftops from one of the three towers

chandelier

antennae

More images on Facebook and Flickr.

Thanks for reading.

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